Boston: The Day After

Flags at Half-Mast

The mood here on the ground in Boston is surreal a day after two explosions rocked the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon. We went out on the street Tuesday morning to talk to runners and hear their stories.

Photo and text by Robert James Reese

Celebrating a Reunion

Jordan Greenberg, 24, of New York City was still wearing his race gear Tuesday because he hadn’t been able to get back to the Lenox Hotel, where he was staying. He had just finished pacing his mom to her goal of a 3:57, a personal best, and “was maybe 300 feet from the finish line when the blasts happened. I was waiting for my sister, trying to find her. She has a learning disability, so it was pretty traumatic.” Eventually their whole family reunited, all safe and accounted for. When asked if he would be back, Jordan replied, “I do want to come back, yeah, especially now.”

Photo and text by Robert James Reese

Second Thoughts

After leading a significant portion of the Boston Marathon, Ana Dulce Félix of Portugal finished ninth with a time of 2:30:05. She had changed into dry clothes and was back in the hotel having lunch with other top athletes when she heard a loud noise. At first, she wasn’t worried, thinking that it was fireworks. But then she asked and found out that fireworks weren’t in the program. “Hospitality then came in and told us to go upstairs to floor 3. No one knew what was happening. Later, they told us we could go to our rooms, but that we couldn’t leave the hotel, for safety reasons.”

Someday, she’ll come back to Boston, but not next year because the demands of the course don’t fit into her racing plan. She plans to get her 10,000-meter qualifier somewhere in Europe and then run in the World Championships this summer. Her last attempted marathon in the U.S. was New York City last fall, which was stopped because of Hurricane Sandy. Because of that, and what happened Monday, Félix says she has some apprehension about running another road race here.

Photo and text by Robert James Reese

Security Lockdown

We talked to two next-door neighbors from the Indianapolis area who weren’t able to pick up their baggage until Tuesday. They asked not to be named but shared their story. It was the first Boston Marathon that either had run, and they had both raised money for the Melanoma Foundation to secure a charity registration spot. Around mile 25.5, both of their cell phones started ringing nonstop. Eventually, he answered and his wife told him what was happening. The police stopped them before turning onto Hereford, but didn’t really direct anyone where to go. The runners hung around a while, then dispersed. “It was impossible to get a text; there was no cell service. A stranger saw I was trying to get in touch with my family and let me use his phone.” They got plastic bags from an aid station and put them on to try and stay warm.

Photo and text by Robert James Reese

Overturned Trash Cans

For David Johnston of Willow, Alaska, the Boston Marathon’s 26.2 miles must have seemed short in comparison to the 350-mile Iditarod Trail Invitational that he won earlier this year. But he never could have expected it to end the way it did. After he finished his eighth consecutive Boston in 3:04, the explosions at the finish line went off. “I wanted to be a streaker, and hopefully still can be. But it’s going to be different. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next year. Tighter security, I’m sure. And the spectators will be different. It was definitely less of a celebration this year than normal. Somber, a different vibe.”

Photo and text by Robert James Reese

Blocking Boylston

Johnston's sister, Amy Johnston-Redden, also ran the marathon and had just finished the race and was heading back toward the finish line when she saw the explosion ahead. Though she couldn't immediately process what was happening, she started running in the opposite direction, back to the friends and family area. This was her first Boston Marathon, and Johnston-Redden, 45, of Dayton, Ohio, had made a goal of qualifying for the race as a way to see her brother. "It's very upsetting," she said. "I can't believe anyone would target a race like this--target the spectators, in particular. The spectators here are amazing. They line the entire course."

Photo by Robert James Reese, Text by Caitlin Giddings

Back Next Year

“We want the people to know we’ll be back. We hope that they’ll be here supporting us, because without them, it’s not the same race,” said Jim Cleary (second from left) of Austin, Texas. He finished his eighth Boston in 3:48 and was “about six blocks down, near the buses. We didn’t know what was going on until later.” His wife Kathy was there cheering him on.

James Donaghy (second from right) and Nancy Dasso (right) also had stories to tell...

Photo and text by Robert James Reese

Empty Streets

Nancy Dasso, 48, of Austin, Tex., had finished her 13th consecutive Boston Marathon in 3:48 when the explosions erupted. "It felt like an earthquake," she said. Standing next to her was James Donaghy, who was wearing his race medal for the first time Tuesday morning. Donaghy, 48, of Raleigh, N.C., had long finished in 3:19 when the bombs went off, and described the mood after the race as "weird." "You want to celebrate, but you can't," he said. This was Donaghy's second Boston Marathon. "I was planning on it being my last, but now I am determined to come back," he said. Dasso agreed she would definitely run the race again.

Photo by Robert James Reese, Text by Caitlin Giddings

Governor Response

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick was surrounded by reporters as he walked down Dartmouth Street Tuesday morning, heading away from the finish area after a press conference, where he said that no unexploded bombs had been found, only the two that had exploded.

Photo and text by Robert James Reese

Waiting to Get In

Elizabeth Flores was still dressed in her race clothes from the day before, waiting to get back into the Hotel Lenox in Copley Square. Flores, 36, of Miami, Florida, finished her second Boston Marathon on Monday in a time of 3:34, and was headed back to the hotel to take a shower and change when she heard loud explosions erupting from blocks away. Initially she thought the sound was some kind of crane accident. She spent Monday night with locals—strangers who invited her into their house and offered a bed and shower. The news that bombs had been placed near the finish line of the race will not deter her from running Boston again next year, she said. "I'm qualified for next year, and no way will this stop me from coming back," she said. "What I am fearful of is other big marathons being targeted by copycats. I'm doing Chicago this year, too, and I hope the experience isn't marred by security. It just takes away from the accomplishment of running a marathon."

Photo by Robert James Reese, Text by Caitlin Giddings

Receiving Her Medal

Peggy Kelley was overcome with emotion as she received her race medal at the bag pick-up on Berkeley Street Tuesday morning. Kelley, 46, of Woburn, Massachusetts, was only a half-mile away from the finish line when the explosions went off, but she had headphones in and didn't hear the booms. After officials blocked the course and diverted Kelley and the tide of runners onto buses, the news sunk in. She immediately feared for her 16-year-old daughter waiting near the finish line, who was planning to jump in and join her to run the final stretch. Eventually, Kelley was able to contact her daughter from a stranger's phone. "I'm just glad everyone on my team—Team Eye and Ear—and the Shamrock Running Club is safe," Kelley said. "This won't stop me from running Boston again, though. Someday I'll be back, with my daughter."

Photo by Robert James Reese, Text by Caitlin Giddings

Blocked Off From Bags

Esther Dill was also picking up her medal and bag on Tuesday morning. Dill, 62, of Indianapolis, Indiana, was less than a half-mile from the finish line when she heard the explosions and said all the runners were in similar state of confusion, disbelief, and chaos. Dill said she also ran the 2007 Chicago Marathon, which was partially shut down due to the heat, so when she first heard sirens, she wasn't sure of the severity of the situation. And many runners were stranded without the warm clothing, ID’s, and cellphones in their drop bags, so they had no way of letting family and friends know they were okay. A local woman was giving runners Lucky-brand leather coats to stay warm; she gave Dill a towel. This was her first Boston Marathon, but she said after experiencing the generosity of the city, she's definitely coming back next year. "It's bittersweet," she said. "I don't feel the joy you normally do when you get a medal."